Ghosts, Goblins, and Witches…Oh My! It’s that time of year, again…..Halloween!

Where kids get dressed up, the house gets ‘creeped out’ and, it seems, the scarier the better!

Halloween seems to truly be a kid’s holiday – so, make sure to include them in the festivities!

Alternatives to Pumpkin Carving

If you are like me, I cannot stand pumpkin carving. I have no desire to scoop ‘the guts’ out of a pumpkin and attempt to make some sort of recognizable design with a ‘pumpkin carving kit’, that never seems to carve correctly, without cramping your fingers and leaving you with some blisters. SO, why not come up with some alternative options? I’m in!

We have an 8YO boy who is all about super heroes these days. He received the Captain America Pumpkin “Push Ins” for a birthday gift. Done! It’s adorable! And, why not let your kids be creative by painting a pumpkin or, the newest trend, ‘junkins’, which is where you decorate your pumpkin with things you find around the house. Brilliant! No cost – other than the pumpkin (unless you have your own garden).

Fabric Pumpkins

Maybe, you don’t want to deal with the ‘real’ pumpkins at all. I can relate to that too. So, why not make fabric pumpkins? Find some fabric, take a roll of toilet paper (yes, a roll of toilet paper), and wrap the fabric around the toilet paper. Use brown paper for the stem and green felt/pipe cleaners for the leaves. It’s super easy and really cute! And, no one has to know you used toilet paper!

Food Fun!

This is where I excel when it comes to the holidays – FOOD! Ok, not necessarily MAKING food. But, DEFINITELY eating food! Once again, I turned to my dear friend, Pinterest, for some Halloween food fun! The ideas were endless. But, these were a few that ‘jumped out at us’.

Mini Marshmallow Ghosts: Fill skinny plastic pretzel bags (you can find in candy making section of Michael’s, etc) with mini marshmallows. Tie with black ribbon and two eyes and a mouth for a face. Can use black marker, construction paper, or felt.

Ghost Suckers: Take your favorite suckers and cover with white fabric. Tie with ribbon and add a face with black marker.

Creepy Q-Tips: Place mini-marshmallow on either end of toothpick. Melt butterscotch chips. Pick one end of toothpicks with marshmallow and dip into melted mixture. Let dry. Will look like Q-tip with ear wax.

Witch Hats: Fudge stripe cookie placed face down. Place orange frosting in middle of cookie and put a hershey kiss on top of frosting. Press slightly for some frosting to ‘ooze’ around hershey kiss (creating a colored band on the hat).

And, for a little more decorative flair, serve your goodies in clear bowls/vases and make faces on them too – to create a ghost (when serving ‘white’ food) and a pumpkin (when serving ‘orange’ food). Make faces from construction paper and/or felt.

Whatever you do, involve the kids (and grandparents too) and have fun! It’s a great way to spend some time together, have a few laughs, and get those ‘creative juices’ flowing!

We had a blast working on all of our projects – and certainly had some laughs!

Thank you to my awesome helpers too – our 8 year old, Nicholas, and Grandma Nancy. It was fun to work on all of these with you!

It’s October. And, it has become quickly known, in addition to Halloween and Columbus Day, as Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

You haven’t noticed all of the pink? EVERYWHERE!

Breast cancer, all cancer, is nothing to mess with – so, women, get your regular check-ups and mammograms and, men, you need to get your check-ups too!

If you want to join the masses of pink, this month, here are a few fun options:

Berry Brooke - The Market

“Save the Ta-Tas” has been a popular and fun way to raise awareness for breast cancer, as well as raise fund for charities too. You can go to www.savethetatas.com for more information. And, why not ‘throw in’ a hot trend while promoting a good cause with a – bubble necklace! Berry Brooke is offering 20% off all pink merchandise for the month of October.

Saks Fifth Avenue

Fabulous products that support various breast cancer charities from Saks Fifth Avenue. Gorgeous shirt designed by Carolina Herrara and big names like Clarisonic, Estee Lauder, and Donna Karan all giving back to the cause. LOTS of fun events going on, next week, at our local (Tulsa) Saks Fifth Avenue to support the cause too – many involving Carmen Marc Valvo designs!

Gleeful Peacock Jewelry/Ann Arthur Fur Scarf

Ok, if you could feel this fur scarf, you would buy it..INSTANTLY! It is so luscious and soft. Gorgeous! Ann Arthur Outerwear is offering specials on their pink merchandise.

Gleeful Peacock has an adorable new store and the product is so fun with a vintage vibe. A fun and flirty way to wear pink! Gleeful Peacock is offering 25% off all pink merchandise for the month of October. (Offer only on Gleeful Peacock product – store does carry other local artists too)

Secret Gardens Candle Company

The “Turn Tulsa Pink” campaign goes along with the COLOR of the month – with breast cancer awareness. But, this organization takes it another step further by raising fund for women AND children affected by all/any cancer. They provide funds to a variety of charities all surrounding cancer. Another amazing foundation that I am falling in love with quickly is RandomActsofPurpose. They are determined to help with the big things and the little things for families of cancer. It’s doing something nice for others that can make such a big difference during a difficult time.

Must Stash

Colored denim is a huge trend – so, you will fit in, perfectly, this month, with your hot pink True Religion jeans. And, why not throw on one of these cute Tee’s with it too. You can find “Turn Tulsa Pink” merchandise at Must Stash too. As well as, proceeds from the purchase of the pink chevron Oklahoma shirt will go towards charity.

The Perfect Touch Gift Store

If you are looking for out-of-the-ordinary ways to show your support, head to The Perfect Touch Gift Store. Brighton jewelry is a ‘staple’ amongst many women, who, in turn, will donate proceeds of the sale to charity. The Santa fairy by Mark Roberts is precious! Vera Bradley brought out this whimsy ribbon pattern to show their support, as well as they will be doing a ‘cookie promotion’ on October 11th. Pick a cookie out of the cookie jar for special savings!

Donna's Fashions

And, if you are still looking for pink, make your way to Donna’s Fashions. Beautiful shades of pink in this shirt, scarves, and jewelry. They are supporting the cause via The Pink Ribbon Event (one of the Carmen Marc Valvo events, I was referring to above) benefitting Oklahoma Project Woman, as well as through their “Heart Card” that helps Tulsa Project Woman. Buy a “heart card” for $20 and receive 20% off your purchase every other month.

There are a ton of ways to show your support – so, do your part! Wear Pink! Decorate in Pink! Share the Pink message!